AVENGERS Infinity War is the big summer blockbuster of the year, but Square Enix is also planning a magnificent Marvel game that's sure to delight fans with access to a PS4, Xbox One and PC. Here's what we know so far...

Avengers Game - Staff Hire Update

Crystal Dynamics - the studio making the upcoming Avengers game - is setting up a new branch of its office specifically to deal with the ambitious new project.

The new studio is based in Bellevue, Washington, and is called Crystal Northwest - and it's making some interesting hires.

“The new studio in the Seattle area is officially up and running as of today, and is a full-fledged extension of Crystal Dynamics,” a press release noted. “Dedicated initially to technology development, it delivers even more expertise to the highly-anticipated Avengers.”

The most recent hire for the studio comes in the form of God Of War's lead combat designer Vincent Napoli, who joins developers from Dead Space and Halo on the project.

The Avengers Projectwas first announced as part of a new partnership with Marvel Entertainment and Square Enix early last year on January 26th, 2017.

However, information about this newly established partnership has been few and far between. It had been hoped more info would arrive at E3 2018, but alas the game was AWOL.

In the meantime, for the purpose of this guide to The Avengers Project, we'll intend to cover everything you need to know about the upcoming game from the geniuses at Crystal Dynamics – longtime developers of the award-winning Tomb Raider series – and Deus Ex developer Eidos-Montréal.

This shall include all the existing trailer info, details about the potential gameplay we could see as well as the all-star team of developers who are working on bringing this fantastic franchise to life.

Between now and the release - whenever that maybe - we'll continually update this page with all the latest news and information you need as it's revealed.

For now, though, enjoy these excellent looking screenshots from the games initial announcement trailer.

The Avengers Project - Overview

The Avengers Project - What is it?

The Avengers Project, as it is currently known, will feature a "completely original story" and build a "universe gamers could play in for years to come.'

This news will surely please Marvel fans around the world who had already been let down when a previously planned Avengers game was cancelled a few years back.

The Square-Enix announcement read:

"The Avengers project is being designed for gamers worldwide and will be packed with all the characters, environments, and iconic moments that have thrilled longtime fans of the franchise. Featuring a completely original story, it will introduce a universe gamers can play in for years to come."

Jay Ong, Senior Vice President for Games & Innovation at Marvel Entertainment has also spoken of the partnership, saying:

“By partnering with Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal, we are now working with two of the industry’s most talented and respected game development studios to bring Marvel stories to life in ways our fans have never experienced.

“The Avengers Project is a perfect example of how Marvel is making games a key part of the landscape for Marvel storytelling, alongside comics, television and film.

"We can only do this by matching our greatest Super Heroes with the world’s top developers, such as the creative minds at Square Enix.”

(Pic: DS)

The Avengers Project - Release Date

There is no official release date for the game just yet. All that has been mentioned, alongside the initial announcement trailer, is that more news would be shared in 2018.

There was, however, very little news.

It was assumed that Square Enix would have more to share at E3 2018, but, despite having their own E3 livestream press conference, the publisher had nothing further to share,

Assuming Square are still looking to share more information about the game, it's possible that we could learn more later this year at the likes of Gamescom or even PSX in December.

In all events, it would seem most likely that the game is a 2020/21 release at the very earliest.

(Pic: DS)

The Avengers Project - Gameplay

A Neogaf post earlier this year brought to light two job postings for the game which give us a better idea of the way it is shaping up.

One role was for a "Lead Level Designer" position, which would focus on level development.

It's interesting to note that it specifically mentioned "fun and unique online experiences" and also required an understanding of "the social implications of shared gameplay", equally referencing "various game modes and campaigns".

The second position was more straightforward, looking for an experienced Combat Designer, who can work with the rest of the team to "plan, prototype and build combat systems that directly apply to a 3rd person cover based action adventure game."

From this, we can surmise that the game will be a 3rd person cover based action adventure game, with heavy MMO elements which could see players coming together to form a team. Sort of like how Destiny has fireteams of Guardians.

(Pic: DS)

The Avengers Project - All-Star Dev Team

Since the initial announcement, Square-Enix has been quietly recruiting an all-star team of developers to work on the game.

In January of this year, Former Uncharted director Shaun Escayg - best known for working on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy more recently - joined the development team for The Avengers Project.

He was also joined by Dead Space producer Stephen Barry who more recently had worked across a variety of roles at EA, most recently as the director of product development at Visceral Games.

Speaking about the appointment, Escayg said: "I'm thrilled to join Crystal as Creative Director and be aligned with a team as passionate about telling great character based stories as I am."

Barry echoed these thoughts saying: "Crystal's been around almost as long as I've been in the business. The immediate chemistry and camaraderie has been exactly what I'd hoped for."

(Pic: DS)

Avengers Game Update - Spider-Man PS4 Crossover?

It looks like Square Enix's Avengers title could see some crossover with Insomniac Games' PS4 Spider-Man title.

According to a new YouTube video posted by Caboose, a crossover event between the two separate titles is potentially on the cards.

Caboose cites the Telegraph's interview with Bill Rosemann - a staffer at Marvel Games who makes an interesting point about Spider-Man's place in the wider Marvel universe.

Certain locations in Spider-Man's version of New York “give us an idea that other Marvel characters live within the universe that Spider-Man PS4 is taking place within,” according to Caboose.

It'll be interesting to see if Spider-Man will have any part to play in Square Enix's Avengers game.